Breakaway from Misfortune
by DeimosPhobos
Summary: After landing in another Valeria, Fai gets arrested and thrown into a pit, left to die. A pair of twins show later, and say Valeria is in danger by a strange source of power. Who has the feather this time? Can he be stopped?
1. Valeria

Fai and the rest of the group were currently traveling between worlds. Dead quietness surrounded them. Someone's stomach growled. He sighed. He missed being able to enjoy food. Blood tended to taste boring after a while.

_I hope that at least the next world is one of happiness, or at least no pain._ he thought randomly, trying to get his mind off the thought of food.

The last world hadn't been one the group would really like to remember. Though it had a feather, it also had Syaoran-kun, who of course immediately went for Fai, aiming to take his other eye out. Fai was able to hold him off with his vampire abilities, but…

WHATEVER.

Skipping to the next scene!!

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Mokona landed them in the next world with pizzazz; they landed in a tree.

"Damn PORK BUN!! WHY CAN"T YOU EVER LAND US IN A DECENT PLACE?!"

Kurogane yelled, hanging upside down from a limb. Mokona didn't even hear this colorful outburst, or at least pretended to not; instead he jumped on Syaoron's head.

"Mokona smells food here!"

Syaoron's face lit up. "Where? How far—"

"WAA!"

"Fai-san!"

Syaoran scrambled down from his branch to aid Fai, who had fallen from his own onto the ground.

"Hyuu, that hurt." Fai muttered as he was helped up back to his feet. Mokona jumped on his head. Fai blinked his golden eye, and then smiled.

"Are you ok, Fai?" he asked. Fai nodded.

"I'm still here!!" Kurogane yelled from the tree as the group began to set out to find out where they were. Grumbling, he jumped down the tree and to the ground, stomping off after them.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

The group stopped short to the entrance gate to some city. The city didn't appear to be anything special; in fact it looked quiet rundown.

_So, why the gate?_

Confused, Kurogane kicked lightly at the fence.

"Kuro-pii, I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Fai said, peering through the gate.

Kurogane ignored him however, and kept kicking the poor, defenseless gate.

Suddenly, a person appeared at the other side of the gate. Startled, she glanced at the group, looking a little freaked at the sight of Mokona, then she turned and looked at Fai.

"Chii!" Fai blurted out.

_Impossible!_

He was surprised, yet happy to see her, even though she was a different Chii. He wasn't sure if she was happy to see him though, it seemed that his golden eye scared the crap out of her.

She blushed, and then quickly looked down. Mumbling a sorry, she hastily opened the gate. Stepping through, the group just about fell over in shock.

The whole city scene had changed. In a snap, it began to faze into a more pleasing one.

"It looks almost like Piffle," Syaoran muttered.

"Welcome to the country of Valeria!" Chii said brightly, smiling a smile as white as snow. Fai's face paled to an even whiter shade.

"Before I let you on into the actual city, it's law that I scan you three." she continued. She whipped a small remote out of her pocket and pressed a red button.

_Three? Can't she see Mokona or something? Guess not._

"Scan…?" Kurogane asked

"Yes, scan. You know, to check if you're using your real names so we can keep tabs on you if needed, which I doubt, and to be sure you're not hiding anything suspicious."

The ground beneath them began to glow green; it was clear that this was the scanner.

"What happens if we get on the scanners 'bad side'?" Fai squeaked.

_No pits, _please_ no pits…_

"You'll be cast into the Pit, where you'll rot."

Fai looked like he was about to faint.

Kurogane noticed how scared the once-mage appeared. Great. Ninja to the rescue. Again.

"Don't the people who fail the scan get a warning or something?" He asked, handing a small bottle of some liquid to Fai from behind. Fai immediately shoved it into his pocket; knowing what the bottle held.

Chii looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I guess it depends on how severe the case is. If it's something like a legally changed name, or a small amount of magic, I usually let them through. If they, however, stole a name, harbor huge amounts of dangerous magic, or are half human (or not even human), I have to arrest them immediately."

_WHY ME?! _

"AH! Mokona will rot!" Mokona cried, still sitting on the blond head of Fai.

The area beneath Syaoran and Kurogane began to flash blue.

"Oh! That went quickly! You two may pass. Enjoy Valeria!"

As they stepped off of the scanner with worried looks at Fai, Fai whispered something up to Mokona.

The area beneath Fai shot into a sinister shade of red.

Not already…

Chii walked up to him asking

"What is your name?"

"F-Fai D. Flourite… Mage of Celes"

The scanner buzzed.

"Your real name, please?" Chii asked, the kindness leaving her voice.

Fai began to sweat nervously.

"Yuui… Former prince of another Valeria."

The space below him turned a slight shade of purple.

"Well, it seems that you only took the name of a family member. Illegal, but not that harsh of a crime. I'll let that one slide,"

"Thank you, miss. Can he go now?" Syaoran asked. Chii turned and faced him, shrugging. Fai quickly took Mokona off of his head and threw him out of the range of the scanner. Chii turned back around, not even noticing that Mokona had vanished.

The whole scanner pad turned black.

"Mr. Yuui, what exactly _are_ you?"


	2. The Pit

"Mr. Yuui, what exactly _are_ you?"

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Fai didn't answer at first; he was confused at the statement. Then, getting what she was asking, frowned sadly.

"I was once was mage, until certain events occurred, and now…" He sighed

"I'm a vampire."

The scanner flashed blue. Chii blinked, nodding slowly, pondering.

"Well, Yuui, that seems to be the full truth, but allowing a vampire into the city doesn't seem fit at all,"

"NO!" Three voices yelled,

"I'm very sorry, but I cannot allow you to pass,"

"Can I just leave through the gate?" Fai pleaded

Sigh. "No. The gate doesn't work like that. Goodbye, Mr. Yuui."

The floor of the scanner suddenly opened, revealing a huge, gaping hole in the ground. Not even with enough time to react, Fai fell down into the blackness, leaving only his screams behind.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Kurogane and Syaoran were speechless. They gaped at Chii, stunned.

"Why the hell did you do that?!" Kurogane roared

"Well, he is a vampire; I can't allow him to enter the city,"

"But he is a safe one. He can only drink my blood!"

Chii didn't even seem to care about this fact however. In her book, a vampire was a vampire. Syaoran tried to change her mind

"Chii-chan, if we leave your city, never to return, could we have our Fai-san back?"

Chii shrugged again

"You could, but it's next to impossible for me to pull someone out of the Pit once they've been cast in,"

"The hole is still open, pull him out." The ninja interrupted bluntly, glaring and pointing towards the Pit.

"No." She said, vanishing in a digital cloud of smoke.

Syaoran looked startled, and then he remembered. All the Chii's of the other worlds had all been created with magic or science; this one was the same.

Suddenly, a scream of terror flew from the hole. Everyone there knew whose voice it belonged to.

"FAI!" Mokona cried, emerging from his hiding place to lean over the edge of the hole

"Fai! Are you alright?" he shouted down the hole. Fai shouted something back, but the Pit was so deep that no one could clearly understand him.

"Mokona! Weren't you with Fai? How did you end up not falling with him?" Syaoran asked. Mokona got up, shaking his head sadly.

"Fai told me something, and then threw me out or the scanner area to save Mokona."

Kurogane and Syaoran looked at each other with shocked expressions.

"What did he say?"

"He said 'Get my magic back from Yuko. You'll need it to get me out and to save yourselves.'"

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Down below, far away, a single living man lay in a heap, surround by rotting corpses. Alone, he cried sadly, memories of his past horrors returning.

_Is it a sin?! Just to be born? To be living?!_

No, he decided. He wouldn't stay down here, waiting.

"I can't just wait here. I will get out of here." He said. He grabbed a body, and dragged it over to the wall of the Pit.

_Just like last time. _

He dragged another body over. He would have to do this over and over, to build a human mountain just so he'd be that much closer to getting out.

"I may have an advantage," he thought aloud, looking at his hands. He extended his nails into long, razor-sharp claws, cutting through his dark gloves.

"This wall will be much easier to climb, it's all packed dirt."

He smiled grimly, retracted his claws, and then set back to work.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Mokona had called upon Yuko.

"Yuko! We need your help! Fai-"

"I already know what happened, Mokona. Not to sound uncaring, but why did you call me?" The Time-space Witch replied, a knowing look in her eyes. Syaoran decided to answer.

"We need Fai's magic back. He said that we'd need it to save him and ourselves."

"Can't he just crawl out?" Kurogane grumbled, then remembered how far down in the Pit Fai's scream actually was. "Never mind."

Yuko looked off to the side, another strange look in her eyes. Humor?

"Ah, his magic. Well, you should know that it has grown, since it hasn't been used in a while (though the fact that it grew on its own still surprises me). Anyway, because of that, the price for it has grown as well."

"How much has his magic grown?"

"Quite a lot, actually." She pointed to a blue stone behind her, it was about the size of a small child. Kurogane rubbed his forefinger and thumb together, with a look that said "Alright, we get it. Tell us the damn price already."

Yuko rolled her eyes at him.

"The price will be Syaoron's own magic."

Syaoran stepped forward bravely

"I'll pay it."

He held his palm out in facing him, and muttered a spell. His hand flashed a bright white, making everyone shield their eyes. When the light had died down, He was holding a small golden flame in his hand. His magic.

Mokona sent it to Yuko, who then sent Fai's magic to them.

"You should know," she stated "that you can't just throw his magic down that hole to give it back to him. That hole was meant to contain magic, so if his magic were to get thrown down there, you would not be able to get it back, and you're chances of rescuing Fai will next to nothing. For now, give the magic to Mokona to hold."

Kurogane and Syaoran nodded, and Kurogane handed the stone over.

Also, in this hole, time runs differently. One day to you is much shorter than the time down there."

"What?"

"Time flows much quicker down there. Kurogane, when did Fai last drink?"

Kurogane thought for a moment.

"About a week ago; but I gave him a small bottle of it before he fell in. I thought he might need it."

"That it will."

Syaoran then thought of something

"Do you have anything that could get Fai-san out?"

Yuko shook her head

"Not right now. Why don't you try the city?"

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

_How deep is this pit anyway?!_

Fai had been climbing up the wall for hours it seemed; yet it seemed that he was only making very slow progress. The really strange thing was how he never grew tired.

_Is the reason that I'm not tired at all because I'm a vampire?_

He looked up to where the mouth of the Pit was.

"Light!"

Before this, seeing was next to impossible; hardly any light had made it to the bottom of the Pit. But now there was more, urging him on.

_It's so warm! _

He climbed faster.

After a few more hours, he finally made it. Sinking his nail deep into the dirt wall, he pulled himself up to look out. He couldn't see much, besides green plants and the gate. Then he saw something pink. He craned his neck up higher, until he could finally see.

"Mokona! Yuko-san!" he cried out in relief. Both heads turned, shock on their faces. Then Mokona let out a scream of joy.

"KURO-RIN! SYAORAN! COME BACK! FAI'S HERE!"

The two, who had just walked of to go to the city (leaving Mokona behind to keep watch) only a moment ago, ran back.

"Fai-san!" Syaoran cried out. He and Kurogane knelt by the edge, looking at Fai. He wasn't in the best of shape; covered in dirt, with lack of sleep evident all over his face.

"Fai-san," Syaoran said "We did what you said; we got you're magic back." Fai smiled

"Thank you, Syaoran-kun. I hope it wasn't too much trouble?"

"None at all."

"How long have you been down there?" Kurogane asked. Fai looked confused.

"Uh… About a day or so… Why?"

Syaoron's eyes widened. He looked at Kurogane. The ninja glanced back, and then looked back at Fai.

"Do you know how this works?" He asked, tapping the air between them. The air flashed dully; a magic shield was surrounding the Pit.

"No, I can't sense magic anymore. How did you know it was there?"

Kurogane made a noise, then said

"I had a hunch. Anyway, listen up. Time flows differently for you than for us right now, Fai. What's been a day to you has only been about ten minutes for us. We need to get you out fast. Do you know anything about this world?"

Fai looked exasperated by all this. He then thought of something.

"This worlds version of me might be able to do something with my magic…" He turned to Yuko

"Would he be able to use my magic?"

"It's possible, but I wouldn't count on it. If he were able to handle _your_ magic; then that would have to mean that he would have magic of his own. Since his magic would probably be as powerful as yours, you'll probably only be able to find him down there." She pointed down the Pit.

Fai looked down, saddened. Everyone noticed, easily guessing who else he was thinking about. His brother.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind raced past, making Fai shiver. He looked up at the sky. It was much too early for the wind to be that cold, it was only midday; shouldn't the air be warm then? This country was always a warm one; it never snowed here. But none of the travelers knew that.

The wind went by him again, this time making his hair blow around madly.

"Fai, what's up with your hair?" Mokona asked worriedly. Fai looked back up, noticing how none of them had been touched by the wind. Panic shot through him.

"It's magic. The Pit has more magic! It's trying to pull me back!"

AN: Hyuu… I have chapter 2 up! Thanks to everyone who has been reading my story!

I love reviews! Bring 'em on! Lol

I take flames too

Yay.

Till next time,

DP


	3. The Other Yuui

"It's magic. The Pit has more magic; it's trying to pull me back!" He said through clenched teeth, eye wide with fear.

_I can't go back, I'm so close!_

"Wait!" Kurogane yelled as the wind picked up. He and Syaoran began pounding at the magic seal, trying to break it. Mokona broke the connection with Yuko, running over to help. Fai was unable to do anything other than hang on to the wall, if he moved an inch, the wind would catch him. He flattened himself against the dirt.

The wind picked up speed; as if it knew that its target wouldn't give in easily.

Fai felt himself being pulled away…

"NO!"

He hung on with all his might; the wind sped up once more. He was deaf…

The wind filled his ears

"_Let go…" _It whispered acidly.

"NO!! I won't go back!"

The wind roared, and with one final powerful gust, wrenched Fai's hands out of the soil, throwing him back into darkness.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Kurogane slammed his fist against the shield; he hated being so helpless. Syaoran had his forehead pressed against the shield, eyes closed. Neither knew what to say next; so they stayed silent. Mokona decided to call Yuko again.

"Yuko… we lost Fai…" he cried quietly, eyes downcast. Yuko looked at the sad group. She had to do something.

"I'll call Fuuma," She said

"and see if he can get something. In the meantime, try and have a look around Valeria. You never know what you might find."

With that, she vanished.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Fai crashed back down to the bottom of the Pit, landing on something cold and hard.

A dead body.

"I thought I moved all the bodies…" He muttered. He stood up, looking up to the opening of the Pit. He could see it, but it was nothing more than a pinprick in size. He looked back at the body. He screamed.

The body was a mirror image of him.

"_AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"_

He screamed, backing up until he hit the wall, then he sank into a heap.

"I didn't ask for this… Didn't want this… None of this is fair! I've done nothing wrong!" He looked over to the dead Yuui.

"He didn't either." A tear fell from his eye.

"IS IT A _SIN_?! JUST TO BE _BORN_? TO BE _LIVING_?!"

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

"Mokona, can you stay behind?" Syaoran asked. He and Kurogane were going to try and find some answers in the city, but someone had to stay behind in case Fai showed up again. Or worse.

"Sure thing."

"Thanks. Well, we'll be off then."

A scream, louder than before, tore at them. They shut their eyes and looked away.

"_Fai…_" Mokona cried sadly. He looked up to the others

"You'll find the answer, right?" Kurogane, showing a rare moment of comfort, walked over and patted the creatures' head.

"Sure thing, pork bun."

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Running. Getting weird stares. More running. Looking back. Kurogane and Syaoran were back in business. They were running through Valeria, since they knew that each minute really _did_ count, looking for anything that with give them answers.

"Kurogane-san, let's try this place." Syaoran offered, pointing to an old library. Kurogane nodded, he was running out of ideas. They entered and immediately started searching. However, only Syaoran could read the books, so Kurogane just walked behind him, holding the books that he found.

After they thought that they had enough, they sat down at a table, and Syaoran began searching.

"That's the last book kid, the answer had better be in there." Kurogane said as he returned from putting back a handful of books. Syaoran smiled broadly before saying

"It is!"

"Well, what does it say?"

"It says a lot of stuff. It pretty much says that to break a shield, a victim of the one being shielded must sacrifice blood to break it." He looked up at the ninja. He had the same look as him. Total shock.

"Is it really that simple?"

"Yeah. I guess this means we don't have to use his magic to get him out, do we?"

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Rushing out of the store, Syaoran didn't see the man in the hooded cloak in front of him; until he ran into him.

"I'm sorry!" He stammered, helping the man up back to his feet.

"That's alright. You must be in a hurry." He said.

"Wait, I know that voice." Syaoran thought.

Neither really made eye contact, as the man was about to walk away…

Kurogane then walked out of the library. The man stared up at him.

"Kurogane?" He asked. He slipped his hood off. Both of the travelers stared.

"Kamui!"

"Long time, no see. Where are the others?" He asked, smiling and looking around.

Kurogane and Syaoran frowned. Kamui's smile fell.

"Don't tell me. The Pit?"

Syaoran nodded.

"Only Fai is in the pit though; Mokona is guarding Fai."

Kamui was about to ask about Sakura, until he saw the way Syaoron's head hung. Grief seemed to radiate from the boy.

"I can help you get your friend out." He bluntly offered.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

On the way back to the Pit, Kurogane had explained what all had happened.

"I can get the shield to break, but I won't be able to get him out." He said when they arrived.

Mokona turned at the sound of footsteps.

"KAMUI!" He cried in delight, jumping onto the vampire's shoulder.

AN: Hyuu, I'm on a roll! Reviews are loved! Thanks animeMUSICaddict for the upload help!

Next chapter… coming soon… to a computer near you!

(popcorn not included.) XD


	4. Magic

Fai had managed to start a fire, after he had come across a magicians bag full of wood and matches. He then thought of who would choose to walk around with a bag of wood in the first place.

Oh well. At least he could see well now. He walked over to the other side of the Pit. He frowned. One of the others people here had written something here before dying. He could read it, but chose not to. It was sad enough down here.

He walked back to the fire, curling up on the ground before falling asleep…

_He was drifting, falling, down. In water, perhaps? He felt so weightless… Slowly, he opened his eye._

_Fai looked around. Not that there was much to see. He might as well have been blind; the effect would be the same. A voice began singing…_

"_Longing for the blood of humans, the ----"_

"_Who's there?"_

"_Waiting… For the tears to mix with the snow…"_

"_The blood to run…"_

_Fai clutched his throat._

_The voice shifted, and began shouting. _

"_MONSTER!"_

"_No! I'm not a monster!"_

"_KILLER!" _

_A fire burst from nowhere, burning everything…Killing…_

"_NO!"_

_He tried to run, to get away._

_Can't run in water. _

He shot back awake in a cold sweat. Groaning miserably, he rubbed at his eye, trying to rid them of what he had dreamed.

He coughed. His throat was on fire. Grabbing the bottle out of his pocket from days ago, he yanked off the top and greedily drank all the contents. He placed the empty bottle on the ground, wishing he had more.

_So thirsty…_

"How much longer will I last?" He muttered.

How long had he been down in this hell? A week? Something snapped in his head, a panicked expression coming across his face.

_I've got to get out of here!_

He ran to the wall, clawing his way back up faster than before.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Kamui's ears perked.

"Do you hear that?" He asked the group. They all shook their heads. He decided to tell them anyway.

"I can hear someone coming up the side of the Pit."

"FAI!" Mokona yelled happily

"How close is he?" Syaoran asked.

"He's not that far… Really close actually."

Everyone turned their heads towards the Pit just in time to see a Fai appear once again, a triumphant smile plastered on his exhausted and dirt covered face. They all pretended to be unable to see the tears.

Fai noticed Kamui.

"How did you avoid the scan?" He rasped.

Kamui laughed softly

"When I landed in this world, I landed right in the city, not outside of the gate."

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Kurogane unsheathed his sword; slitting his wrist.

Blood.

The ninja approached the shield, and pressed his bloody wrist to the shield. It shattered. Everyone shielded their eyes as broken pieces of it flew into the air; threatening to shred them. Fai peeked up after the raining shield pieces had stopped. He wrenched one hand out of the wall, poking where the shield wall had once been.

His hand went through.

He cried out in relief.

_Finally! I'm free!_

He crawled out; or at least tried to. He was too weak with thirst, so Kamui had to help pull him out while the ninja wrapped up his wrist with a piece of cloth. Fai's blue coat caused him to trip, so he took it off and draped it over an arm instead. Kurogane then handed him another full bottle; which Fai immediately downed. He looked at the bloody wrist.

Kurogane wasn't able to give him any more blood however. If he lost any more then, he himself would die of blood loss.

Syaoran, sensing awkwardness, spoke up.

"Uh, Fai… What do we do with your magic?"

Fai's eye lit up. He looked over to Mokona, who had just spat it out.

Fai looked over to the blue stone. It had grown again; now the size of the wooden Trojan horse. Kamui looked shocked.

"_That's_ your magic?!"

"Just a little less than half of it, but yes. My magic."

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Fai got awkwardly to his feet, and stumbled over to his magic. It began to glow. He placed both of his hands on it, and closed his eye. At once he began to glow, and he hovered a few inches off the ground. The stone grew smaller, duller, as its power was returned to its owner. Then it was over. The glowing stopped; and the mage returned to the ground.

Smiling softly, he opened his blue eye.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Subaru came running into the area.

"Brother! Why did you run off-?" He started, until his eyes took in the whole scene.

"Oh! Hello everyone!"

Syaoran nodded towards him.

"Nice to see you again."

Subaru looked over at Fai and the ninja. The new vampire was leaning against his shoulder, eyes half closed. Clearly he was very tired. And covered in dirt.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

"We should get out of here," Kamui said

"The guard may come once the signal that you escaped arrives."

Fai nodded, all adrenalin from earlier gone.

Kurogane took Fai's arm and swung it over his own shoulder.

"Let's go." He said.

The group, having no other idea where to go, set out for the city.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Along the way, Fai fell asleep.

"Stupid mage," Kurogane muttered, picking up Fai and slinging him over his shoulder. Up ahead, Subaru whispered to his brother

"Kamui, what do we do when we get there?"

"Easy, we'll let them stay at our place."

"But won't it be dangerous? The police have records of every person sent to the Pit; what if they get caught before they make it there?"

Kamui stopped in his tracks, slapping his forehead.

"Dang it, I didn't think of that." He turned around to the rest of the group.

"Guys, we should hurry up a bit…"

"Why? Is something wrong?" Syaoran asked.

A car shot past him, narrowly missing him.

"WAH!"

He then noticed the blinking lights on top of the car...

"Huh?"

…And the word "POLICE" slapped on the rear bumper of the car.

"Po-li…?"

Kamui laughed a little, and then composed himself. The group ran the rest of the way there; getting run over was not on their to-do list.

Subaru rushed up the steps to the door, opening it with a brass key. Opening the door, they all ran in, slamming the door shut. Kamui then locked it. Kurogane raised an eyebrow. Kamui sighed.

"That car you just saw was a police car. If the driver saw him," he gestured to Fai ", we could be in some trouble."

An awkward silence filled the room.

Subaru decided to come to the rescue

"Who wants some food?"

Kurogane and Syaoran sweat dropped. Neither of them knew just what he meant by 'food'. Mokona must have smelled 'normal' food though, and ran off to find the source.


	5. Water

Kurogane decided to dump the sleeping annoyance on the nearest couch. Brushing dirt off his shoulders, the ninja approached the vampire twins.

"Are there any feathers in this world?" he asked. Kamui shrugged.

"We think so. We met someone who looked just like Fai, but he claimed to be named Yuui. He was able to sense things, and told us how he thought this countries Leader somehow got his hands on a strange power. Not long after that, weird stuff began to happen."

Syaoron's head shot up.

"There's another Fai here? We've never met a countries version of ourselves before!" He thought. Mokona flew into the room, landing on Kamui's shoulder.

"Can we meet this Yuui?" he asked. Subaru shook his head.

"No. He snuck into the Leaders Palace to try and get some answers, and we haven't seen him since," he answered. Memories of that night were swept back into the focus of the twins.

"_Okay, I'll go in, and get some answers. Maybe even the source of all of this!" Yuui whispered to Kamui and Subaru. They were outside the gate to the palace. Yuui was to go in, snoop around, and get back out. Quickly. The twins were to stand guard, one at the gates, the other at the doorway. They all nodded. Kamui stayed behind, and the other two crept off to the door. _

"_Good luck," he whispered, as the darkness of night consumed them_

_Once at the door, Subaru checked the scene. All was clear. Yuui rushed in._

_Minutes passed. Where was Yuui? An hour crept passed. Kamui left his post, and slinked over to Subaru._

"Is he back yet?"

"_No. He-"_

_A crash, followed by a _BOOM_, rang out from the south side of the palace. Kamui and Subaru exchanged panicked glances before silently rushing over. Just as they made it, a bright flash shot out of one of the rooms. A scream tore through the darkness, and was harshly cut off. _

"_YUUI!"_

_A sound of thunder rang out, and the twin's visions went white. They felt their feet leaving the ground._

"_Brother!" one cried out in surprise._

_In an instant, it was over. Their feet slammed back to solid ground, eyesight returning._

"_Wha-?" _

"_How did we get here?"_

_They were back at their home; yet neither had ever even left the palace._

"We don't know exactly what happened in there, but…"

"We don't think he made it."

"We've tried to sneak back there before, but it's like a shield was set up or something. We can only go so far, then are thrown back by some force."

Mokona's ears drooped.

"Mokona doesn't think so either. I can sense a feather." He said sadly.

"It would've been nice if you had told us that earlier." Kurogane thought darkly

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

A few hours later, after Kurogane and Syaoran had some 'normal' food, Fai began to stir. Mokona, already full from eating earlier, had stayed behind to watch him. The mage groaned, before sitting up and looking around.

"Where am I?" he thought aloud. Mokona jumped on his shoulder, giving him one of his little hugs.

"Fai fell asleep. Kuro-tan carried you all the way to Kamui and Subaru's house." Fai craned his neck higher, looking around a corner and down a hall.

Where is everyone?

Mokona, as if reading his mind, told him that everyone had gone out for food. Fai had been sleeping for a while, and they had gotten hungry. Mokona then looked as his feet, a troubled expression on his white face.

"Mokona, what's wrong?" Fai asked

"Mokona was wondering…" He stopped

"Mokona, it's okay. What is it?"

Mokona's ears drooped again.

"Mokona was wondering… Did you… See another you down there?" He finished in a whisper. Fai looked confused, and then his eye grew large. He remembered what he saw, and it had scared him. He turned his head away to hide the tears before choking out an answer.

"Y-yes." His head hung sadly.

_Even in this world, I still bring misfortune. _

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Mokona explained what Kamui and Subaru had said while he was sleeping. Fai seemed surprised, and even a little happy.

So the other me decided to fight for freedom…

He smiled.

Fai then noticed how he was covered in dirt. He then looked out the window to the back yard.

There was a pool.

With lots of clean water.

He grinned.

"Mokona, what do you say about going for a swim?" He asked. He got a cheer in response. Both ran outside; and Fai, all fears numbed, dove in.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

The rest of the group returned, stomachs full.

"We would've had to go out and get food if the stupid pork bun had laid off on the food." Kurogane grumbled. Subaru laughed.

"But then you would miss out on this countries good food!" Syaoran said, smiling.

They reached the front door, but just as Kamui was about to unlock the door, they all froze. Noise. In the back yard.

"Do you think someone broke in to use our pool again?" Subaru asked quietly, annoyed. Kamui only growled in response; unlocking the door and racing inside. The rest followed.

"Where's Fai?" Syaoran asked, looking at the vacant couch and all the dirt that had accumulated there.

"Come and see for yourself." Kamui laughed. The rest of the group was crowded around a window, looking out with amused expressions. The boy stood on his toes to see over their shoulders. When his eyes fell on the scene, it was all he could do to not burst out laughing.

Fai and Mokona were taking turns jumping off a diving board into the pool. Only one thing was different. The water had turned a murky color; all the dirt that was caked on Fai's clothes was now laced through the water. The mage didn't seem to even notice this however, or he just didn't care, he just kept laughing, splashing the water in Mokona's face. Finally, the rest of the group decided to make their presence known.

"Evening, ladies!" Kamui laughed. Fai, who was just about to take another dive, gave a yelp of surprise, and fell in the water. He swam back up to the surface, a look of embarrassment of his face as he finally noticed how dirty the water was.

"Uhh… I can clean the water." He flicked his hand at the surface of the water. It flashed a low blue, and then became crystal clear. Mokona jumped out onto Kurogane's head, which made the ninjas hair wet. Kurogane was not happy.

"What were you two doing swimming?" The ninja growled. Fai, who had been dumping water out of his shoes, just looked up sheepishly.

"You wouldn't get it, Kuro-pii, even if I told you."


	6. Killer dreams

Later that night, Fai lay sleeping in one of the many spare rooms of the twins' house. He was glad he didn't have to share a room. Since he had become sensitive to the smell of blood, he'd always have trouble falling asleep.

He turned in his sleep, muttering. He was dreaming.

"No…"

_He was in the dream again. Drifting. He felt the familiar pull of magic, and turned towards it. A figure stood, back towards him. Familiar brown hair ruffled in an unheard wind._

"_Syaoran-kun?" He whispered. The boy snapped his head around, blue eye glaring, sword drawn. Fai tried to back up, but his body had gone numb. The clone took Hein, plunging it into Fai's chest._

_Fai choked, coughing up blood. The air began to change, scenery forming. They landed on their feet on the grounds of a palace. Syaoran yanked his sword off, and stood there, staring up at him. Fai, now able to move, looked down at his chest. Blood was everywhere, so why didn't he feel anything?_

"_Wizard." _

_Fai locked eye with the boy, glaring slightly. _

"_I am coming to get the feather. Wake up."_

_With that, Syaoran took his sword, and sliced it through Fai's neck._

"AAHHH!!" Fai screamed, hands trying to reach his neck. The sheets had become wrapped around him from tossing around in his nightmare. He began to hyperventilate in panic.

NO!!! I'm trapped! I'm going to die!!!!

"Fai!" Someone yelled, rushing in, yanking the sheets off. Fai was drenched in sweat, eye clamped shut; too afraid to see.

"_N-n…ooo…_"

"FAI! Snap out of it!" It was Kurogane yelling his name, but in vain. The mage began shaking his head, mutterings reaching a crescendo.

"_NO…_"

The ninja shook his shoulders, yelling his name. Fai whimpered.

"Fai!!" Syaoran yelled. Kurogane cursed loudly, before yelling

"YUUI!! SNAP OUT OF IT!!!"

Fai's eye shot open, and he took a huge breath in. Mokona was crying, the twins, not knowing how to react, stood out of the way, shock and disbelief all over their faces.

Fai's eye came into focus, a hand slowly reached up to his neck.

He was alive.

His gaze slid over the group.

"What… Just happened?"

"We think you were having a nightmare, Fai. Are you alright?" Syaoran said slowly. Fai's eye shot back to him, color draining from his face, panics ebbing into his eye again. He backed up until he hit the wall, and then just sat there. Raising a hand, the mage pointed to the boy and said

"You killed me."

Then he fainted.

AN: MWHAHAHAHA*cough* short chapter of death!

Just so everyone knows, I'm giving Fai a new power later, and it's one he doesn't have in the manga/anime, obliviously. XD

Sorry about not leaving AN, I always forget those ^^;

DP


	7. Wait and see

"Just let him sleep for now. He should be alright." Subaru said, trying to comfort a shell-shocked Syaoran.

"…He said I killed him." The boy whispered.

"I would never do that!" He thought

"It was probably just a bad dream, calm down." Kamui said, arms crossed, eyes closed.

The group, minus Fai and Mokona, were seated around a triangular table, sipping assorted drinks; tea and coffee mostly. Kurogane hadn't said a word. He was too busy thinking. The twins and Syaoran conversed some more, and then Kurogane blurted out

"I don't think it was just a dream. We all saw how he reacted. He wouldn't freak out that much over something as stupid as a _dream_." He spat the last word out, like it tasted badly on his tongue. Kamui nodded his head thoughtfully.

"Maybe… It was like a vision or something, and he saw the other me?" Syaoran offered. The rest pondered this silently. Suddenly, Mokona walked into the room.

"Fai's awake." He quietly said.

"Let's hope he stays like that long enough to get some answers out of him. Lazy mage." Kurogane grumbled.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Fai was sitting up on his bed, back to the wall, hugging his knees to his chest.

What parts of the dream were real…and what parts were fake?

He smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." He said to the group as they came in, locking eyes with Syaoran. The boy nodded, saying all that was needed. No hard feelings.

"Fai, what happened?" Kurogane asked.

The mage sighed, and then began retelling what he saw.

"…So for parts of it, I'm not really sure if what I saw was the future, or just dreams. I do, however, think that we need to check out this 'Palace', and see if the Leader holds the feather. For the people of this world to suffer any further…" He frowned.

Kamui and Subaru glanced at each other with raised eyebrows.

"He's just like him, isn't he?" Subaru whispered. Kamui smiled, nodding.

Kurogane looked out the window along the wall he was leaning against. The moon was high, but dawn was quickly catching up.

"Before we go and have a look around, we should at least wait for morning," He started, and then looked at Fai

"We'll also need to get some new clothes for this world." He continued staring at Fai, only now his eyes were hard with concentration. Fai looked up at him, confused.

"_What_?" He asked in exasperation. The ninja only kept staring. Fai's eye began to twitch. The room grew silent. Finally, Kurogane looked away.

"We may need to get something to better hide his appearance too-"

"What's wrong with it?!"

"If you go out in public, people, especially police may recognize you. Idiot."

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

The next morning, the group set off. Fai, being wanted by the law, had borrowed one of Kamui's cloaks. Before stepping out into the sun, he pulled its hood over his head, concealing his face.

Walking around town, the newbie's tried their best to not act like stupid tourist's ohhing and ahhing over everything. They were losing. Except for Kurogane, who didn't seem to care in the least what the place looked like.

"This place looks so cool!" Fai said, looking around at all the sights. The smells of all the foods and all the different clothes people wore here were so different. Everyone seemed so happy in this world. So free!

"We've got to try some of the food here!" Mokona yelled happily. Fai laughed, a huge smile plastered on his face, ignoring all the weird stares he was getting from passerby. It grew contagious. Soon everyone in the group was laughing. Even Kurogane let out a small chuckle.

"Let's go in here, they always have cool clothes and stuff." Kamui muttered, dragging everyone into the store.

After an hour of searching, the travelers had outfits picked out. They were basically the same as the ones from Infinity, at least design wise. These only had more color to them, if only by a little. They quickly paid for them, with money from Kamui and Subaru.

Walking out in his new outfit, still wearing the cloak, Fai turned to Kamui

"Do you think it's safe now for me to take this off? I'm burning up." He asked, fanning his face with his hand. Kamui shook his head.

"Not yet. We need to do something about your hair-"

"My hair? Why my hair?!" Fai said incredulously, hands flying to his head. Kamui rolled his eyes comically

"Relax. We'll only dye it, and you can take it out with your magic later, right?" He ended in a whisper. Fai nodded, smiling. He was starting to like this idea.

"Can it be green?" He joked.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

The twins decided to go with Fai to get some dye; the others had grown hungry again, and gone off in search of food.

"Oh, this one!" Fai said, shoving a box of dark hair dye under Kamui's nose. He shrugged, not really caring what color it was. He just wanted to get out of the store. All the hair product smells were making him dizzy. Subaru had already left, standing outside of the store to clear his head.

They paid for the little box, and quickly left. They found the others later, and ran back to the house.

"Mokona wants to gets his hair dyed too!" Mokona squealed as they rushed into the house.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Not wanting to take the time of dying his hair the normal way, Fai just tapped the box with his finger, then his hair, Magic runes flowing out his hand. Suddenly, his hair was no longer its normal blonde, it was now a dark, almost black, purple. You could see flashes of the royal color if the light hit it just right. He rushed to a mirror to check it out.

"Hyuu, _this_ I could get used to!" He said, grinning like a madman. Mokona suddenly decided to randomly call Yuko.

"Yuko! Check out Fai's hair!" He squealed. Yuko smirked as Fai pranced around like an idiot.

"I take it you're all doing alright?" She asked. Syaoran nodded. A hand appeared in the circle Yuko was in, holding a small and boxed something. The witch took it, and unwrapped it. It was a glass eye.

"I had heard from Mokona earlier of the rescue, so I arranged for something else to be delivered to me. You can have this to aid the disguise, for a price." She directed this towards Fai. Kurogane made a noise, glaring at her. Fai, however, seemed interested.

"What's the price?" He asked. Yuko look around, thinking. It was just a glass eye, so the price shouldn't be too high, right?

"Your Dream-seeing abilities." She said poker- faced.

Everyone looked at Fai, disbelief etched on their faces, especially that of Kurogane and Syaoron's. Mokona didn't seem to care.

"Any more secrets you're keeping from us, mage?" Kurogane joked roughly. Fai smiled sheepishly, shrugging.

"Nope. That's about it really." Fai said. The ninja punched him anyway. Fai, after punching back, turned to Yuko.

"I'll accept that offer then." He put his fingertips to his temples, closing his eyes as they began to glow. He took his hands away slowly, a stream of deep blue-green light following. He brought his hands together, as if in prayer. The light swirled above his fingertips, hardening and becoming a crystal. He opened his hands, then his eyes as the crystal fell into his palm.

"That's tiny, compared to the size of the magic from earlier." Mokona chirped. Fai nodded

"I was never good at this skill. I couldn't even control it, so I rarely ever got use it." He explained. He sent it to Yuko, who in turn sent the eye to Fai. As Fai held it, he noticed how it was starting to shrink, and get duller.

"Ah!" He hissed. Something was happening. He clapped his free hand to his empty eye.

What's going on? What is this?

Kurogane, angry, rounded on the image of Yuko.

"What did you do?"

Yuko smiled, then said

"Wait and see."


	8. Your Plan Sucks

Suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Fai gave a small gasp, hand running over his eye patch. He wrenched off the black fabric, running over to the mirror and looking at his reflection. Two eyes. Quickly, to check if what he believed to be true, he shut his right eye.

_I can still see!_

He rushed up to the witch, pointing to his new eye

"Where did you get this?" He asked, voice trembling a little. Yuko smiled

"I had Fuuma track someone down…"

Fai gasped in shock

"NO WAY!" he yelled, smiling with a grin that could outshine the sun.

"Way. Don't get too excited though, Syaoran-kun is still running free. He'll be wanting that back." She half-joked. The group nodded.

"See you later then." Yuko said, and then vanished.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

The next morning, the group decided to check out the city again. They had all agreed on storming the Palace, they just needed a plan. They decided to walk around, especially around the Palace, and look for easy places to sneak in or just get ideas. Fai pretended to be blind to all the stares he was getting from a group of teenage girls.

They wouldn't stop following him.

He began to walk faster, now deaf to their giggles. Kurogane, getting irritated by them and all their giggling, snapped his head around to face them. He gave them one of his worst death-glares, and put a hand around his sword, metal arm gleaming in the sun. The girls quickly scattered.

"Odd, they usually don't prowl around like that at this time of day…" Kamui mussed as he watched the retreating figures with a bored expression.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

After the odd group of stalkers vanished, Fai looked around. All the other citizens seemed to move in slow motion, vacant expressions on their gaunt faces.

"Is this what the feather has been doing? Turning people into zombies?" He whispered in Subaru's ear, pointing to the people. Subaru nodded

"That's what it looks like."

"Why?"

"We don't know. We do know though, that it can't continue. After a while, some of the citizens go mad on a rampage."

Fai was about to ask more, until a small wind blew past, ruffling his dark hair. It wasn't the wind that made him stop though, but what the wind carried.

A voice. That sounded just like his own.

"_The Leader is very superstitious… He plans to make a small army… and kill off all with any Power…"_

"Yuui?" The voice quickly returned with the next wind, now with an urgent tone

"_Please, do something... Stop the madness… before it's all over… He has a power source, hidden in the Palace, in the shape of a bird's feather… It has destroyed his sanity… Don't allow for him to use it to its full power! Go, now!"_

He cradled his head in his hands, groaning

"My head…"

Was that the Yuui of this Valeria?

"Fai? Are you alright?" Subaru asked. Fai shook his head, whispering harshly

"I know what the Leader wants, Yuui just told me. He's going to kill all those with 'Power'… He's hasn't even been using the feather to it's full power yet-"

"There's a feather?" Syaoran asked. Fai nodded.

"We have to stop him, now." Fai said, raising his head back up, fury in his eyes.

"For the people of this Valeria to suffer any further…damn, he's gonna die. I'm gonna kill him." The group looked a little startled, none of them had ever seen Fai this mad.

"Let's go!" Fai whispered, running off to the Palace, everyone else charging after him. Kurogane got to him first, tackling him to the ground.

Damn insane kings…

"You can't just run off like that without having a plan in your head, idiot." He said. Fai glared at him, getting back up to his feet

"I do have a plan. I'm going to sneak in, kill him, and get the feather."

"Your plan sucks."

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

The group decided to go back to the twins' house, where they could form a plan without being overheard. They weren't making much progress. Fai had just been sitting there, drumming his fingers on the table, an irritated look on his face.

After awhile, silence filled the room, save for Fai's tapping fingers. Syaoran, hating the awkward-ness of it all, spit out a question at the twins.

"Did Yuui use magic to get in the first time?" Syaoran asked. Subaru shook his head.

"No, actually, I don't recall ever seeing him use magic."

"Maybe he didn't _have_ any magic. It doesn't seem that anyone here has any. He just had a knack for knowing when weird things were about to happen." Kamui muttered. They sat in silence.

"I wonder what happened to him." Subaru thought aloud. Fai stopped what he was doing, eyes wide and looking far ahead at nothing. In a hollow voice, he said to Subaru

"I've seen him." The twins shared a look. Fai's eye's slid over to meet their gaze.

"How was he?" One whispered before thinking. Fai sighed sadly, and before he could stop himself, said, "He looked like he had been stabbed a thousand times, his head was almost severed clean off, and…oh god, and there was blood _everywhere_." He hung his head, shutting his eyes as the all-to-clear memories came flooding back. Mokona jumped on his shoulder, giving him a small hug.

"I'm alright, Mokona. It's just upsetting how brutal he was murdered, just for _trying_ to do some good."

_Lies again… Like I'd really be all right after seeing _that_._

He gave a smile, patting Mokona on the head.

After an hour of sleuthing, the twins thought that they had enough.

"All we have to do is sneak in through a side set of doors, probably the ones leading to the servant quarters. We can then grab some servant uniforms, and just walk in." Kamui suddenly said, breaking the silence.

The group nodded in agreement, and Fai jumped to his feet.

"Let's go!"

AN: Thanks to all who have kept up on the story, you rock!

Crap, I forgot to put in a disclaimer! Well, here it is!

I OWN ONLY THE PLOT IN THIS STORY. The characters are not mine, nor the world's name. Steal anything of mine, and life will become very dark for you. *author is overprotective of her work*


	9. Skinny guy leads the way

"Let's go!"

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

"Wait." Syaoran said quickly. Everyone was preparing to leave, so they all stopped at the door, cloaks in hand, waiting for what he had to say.

"Shouldn't we plan this out a bit more? I mean, what if something happens?" They stopped to consider this, until Kurogane said in a gruff tone

"I think we've planned enough, you seem to just be nervous."

"Well, yeah, but-"the boy sputtered

"Don't sweat it, kid."

Syaoran nodded, grabbed a small bag, and set off with the others.

Along the way, Kamui and Subaru were rambling last-minute pieces of knowledge and wisdom

"Don't try and climb the fence, it'll zap you,"

"Very painful."

"Yeah, and don't run around the grounds, they probably have motion detectors or guard dogs."

"Stick to the shadows!"

Kurogane, already knowing these from being a ninja, waved his hand at them

"Shut it. You two are talking so loud that the citizens will hear us, and blow our cover before we even get there." The twins blushed, quickly shutting up. Mokona looked around, alert. He was beginning to think that hordes of people would jump out of nowhere, are start attacking them with things like, oh I don't know, spoons.

Fai scanned his eyes around, glad to have his full range of vision back. He then sensed something. Attack magic. It was coming straight at them, but was completely invisible to the eye. Quickly, he set up a shield, covering the whole group.

"What's going on?"

"Someone's hexing us, Kuro-pii." Fai said this with such a straight face, that it would have been funny in most cases. Clearly, this wasn't one of those. When the magic was about ten feet away, it became visible, in the form of hundreds of daggers. All at once, they began pelting the shield. Fai closed his eyes in concentration.

"Ah!"

Syaoran ducked on instinct, covering his head. Nothing hit him though. Sneaking a look, he saw how the daggers rammed into a shield. Each time one made contact, the shield flashed blue, like a firework display.

"Ohh, pretty, Fai!" Mokona screamed over the crashing fleets of knifes. Fai laughed.

This is going to take forever… It'd be so much easier if I just…

Fai, splitting his concentration, began to etch runes into the air, muttering spells. Before the group's eyes, the runes wrapped around the shield, constricting it.

"What the hell are doing?!" Kurogane yelled. The magic had touched his arm, making it disappear.

"Tsh!" He frantically looked over to the others, Subaru's head was halfway gone, but he seemed okay with it.

"Damn, mage! What is this?!"

"Shut up and relax, Kurogane. It won't work if you freak out." Fai said. Kurogane looked up, not used to hearing the mage call him by his full name. Fai was already halfway gone.

"How are you still able to talk?" Kurogane asked. Syaoran spoke up,

"You'll get left behind if you fight it. Just relax."

Kurogane grumbled, closing his eyes. A cool, mist-like feeling spread from his arm to the rest of him, then he was gone.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Slowly, Kurogane regained feeling again. The magic was gone finally. Five whole seconds of his life he hoped he'd never have to relive again.

"What was that?" He asked randomly. Kamui sneezed, then said

"It was transport magic, right, Fai?" Fai nodded, looking around at where they landed.

_Perfect. This should buy us some time._

"We need to hurry and get inside, before anything else happens." He said, running towards a gate. The gate to the Palace.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

"Hah! Do they really think they'll _not_ be noticed? Fools! Just wait, you'll meet the same fate as the last one who dared to enter!"

Leader laughed; he had been watching the groups approach to his Palace for a short time now. He admired their spirit. Leaning in closer to his observation glass- a window floating in midair- and squinted.

"Who's the skinny guy?" He muttered, rubbing his chin. He then squeaked like a small child

"Unbelievable! They managed to bring back the dead! Perhaps there's hope for…" His eyes then fell onto the tallest member of the small group, who was once again glaring at a strange small and white creature

"My son!"

The skinny guy managed to break down the gate, and the party rushed inside. He then appeared to be telling them all something, waving his hands around with precise movements.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

"I can't do any healing magic, so don't be stupid and jump into a fight." Fai stared with a smirk at them before continuing

"I can, however, give you enchantments to protect and strengthen you." He began waving his hands smartly, etching runes around the group. They began to glow briefly, then returned to normal. Fai nodded, happy with his work, and stood straight.

"Father?"

Everybody turned and stared at the ninja, who had a strange expression etched across his face, grained into his eyes. He felt the presence of his father, but how? His father died, long ago.

"Damn." He snapped his head to face the twins

"Who's the leader of this country?"

Startled, they could only shrug. They didn't have the faintest clue who Leader was.

"What's wrong, Kurogane?"

"I feel the presence of Leader. It's my father. Damn."

AN: Hyuu, I updated! My school had a delay, so I actually had time to type stuff! Thanks to all who fav'd or story alerted my fanfic! :D


	10. Free stuff

"We have to get inside. Now!" Fai yelled, eyes turning into golden slits.

Once in the doors, Kamui turned to Kurogane, eyes full of question. Kurogane simply pointed up to the ceiling.

"He's there."

Suddenly, the doors slammed shut, casting the group into darkness. They then heard a bolt being slid across it, barring it from reuse.

"Shit. You think they would've thought to put at least _one_ window." The ninja growled

"Nowhere else to go but forward, I guess."

"Who said that?"

"Me!"

"Who's me?" he asked. Someone sighed. Pattering footsteps could be heard, then a body hitting a wall.

"Ouch." Kamui muttered, rubbing his nose.

"What are you doing, brother?" Subaru asked, sensing him leave his side. The group heard a voice muttering something about light switches.

"Never mind that, guys. I saw stairs over this way earlier!" Syaoron's voice said suddenly. He walked off, the group following. Or trying to at least.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

On the first floor, the group was greeted again by light. Lucky for them, the room they were in held weapons. They were all mounted proudly on the walls, like trophies from past battles. They appeared to be antique, not to be touched. Rushing up to them, Fai began yanking them off their mantels.

"Free stuff!" he joked, as he handed out the weapons. He glanced at Kurogane and Syaoran.

"Do you have your swords?" Kurogane nodded, and Syaoran shook his head. Fai looked confused. The boy then told him what the price had been to get Fai's magic back.

The room grew a little bit quieter.

"Oh." Fai said softly, looking guilty. Syaoran smiled, saying it was all right, taking a weapon out of Fai's hands. It was a sword, similar to Hien. Fai nodded, and then handed weapons out to Kamui and Subaru, saving one for him. Kamui got a silver sword, Subaru a golden bow. He yanked a dagger off the wall next, and used his magic to shrink it. He then handed it to Mokona. Fai kept a pistol for his own use, though he didn't plan on using it.

Fai quickly brought his weapon up to his shoulder, barrel pointing skywards. Flipping his hair in a comically dramatic way, he locked gazes with the rest of the group.

"Let's go."

AN: I'm sorry it's so short, but this is all I had at the time! I don't have anything else written right now, so I don't think I'll be updating for awhile… *blames school*

Guess what! I ordered a necklace off Amazon, and it came in today! It looks like Fai's staff!!!! :D Random, I know… but I've been waiting almost a week for it, and it FINALLY came today! Almost like MAGIC! *laughs at lame joke*

Ugh, this chapter is only like a page long… and really rushed. *SHAME*

Sorry about the weapon-description-paragraph-thing. I've never been that good at creating scenes like that… ^^;

I'm aware that Kamui and Subaru are from different CLAMP story/manga/anime/whatever… but I'm not 100 percent sure what weapons they have, if they even have one… (I'm pretty sure Kamui has a sword thingy… and I just made one up for Subaru) Anyway, if you know what they have, feel free to correct me through a reply or whatever! :D

I don't know about the whole philosophy of what happens when a mage turned vampire suddenly gets his magic back, but, even though Fai has both eyes back (duh lol), I've decided to still use the whole vampire shebang. This is a fan fiction, so it's alright, right? ;D


	11. Clocks and messages

The group smirked at the mage's failed attempt at humor, and then took off running after him. They all turned and began running faster down a long hall.

"Kurogane," Syaoran asked. The ninja snorted, turning his head around to look at the boy behind him. Syaoran picked up the pace, so he was next to him.

"What is it, kid?"

"Are you sure your father is the Leader? I thought-"

"I'm sure."

"But I thought-"

"Yeah, I know."

"Then why is he all…"

"I don't know. Something's up there, probably messing with his mind or something."

Kurogane shut his eyes, trying to clear his thoughts. He never noticed the rest of the group had suddenly stopped running, and he rammed into Fai's extended leg.

His eyes snapped open as soon as he felt his legs hitting something, and he did a spastic flip to keep from falling to the stone floor. He felt the ground move when he landed, but was too angry to really pay any attention to it. Fai started laughing, tears at his eyes as he clutched his sides. The others joined in, making Kurogane want to kill them all.

"I thought ninja's were supposed to always be on high alert!" Fai giggled stupidly, dodging a punch thrown at him. Kurogane tried to behead him, but the mage slipped away, running down the hall, laughing like a maniac. Mokona jumped on Kurogane's head, squealing insanely.

"Come on, guys! This way!" Fai called from down the hall. The group ran over, this time on high alert, thinking Fai would do something again.

"You guys should know, this hall is barfing with booby traps. Kurogane stopped at least five back there with his stunt-"

"What the HELL?"

"When you flipped and landed, your feet hit a switch. It wouldn't work if someone light like me jumped on it, so I thought you should try." He gave the ninja a look that said:

"_I'm so much smarter than you. Ha."_

"Should we be going?" Subaru asked. Kamui nodded in agreement. Fai nodded; a serious look back in his eyes.

The group took of again, none of them noticing the pair of brilliant blue eyes studying them from behind the twin pair of holes behind a portrait, wide with shock.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

A lithe figure slinked out from a trapdoor in the wall; but not before sliding a cut out piece of eyes back over the holes of the portrait. He giggled.

"They never check the pictures!"

He took off back flipping across the hall, expertly kicking a point high up on the wall. A panel slid open, leading to another secret passageway. He jumped in, knowing that by using it, he could get to father faster than the other group. He slapped the inside wall three times, turning an unseen light source on. Running down the hall, he quickly pondered the new people. One looked so very familiar, if only he could remember…Who…

He exited the passage, now in a sort of dining hall. There was an enormous chandelier hanging from the middle of the grand room, decorated with emeralds and diamonds. A golden chord, fastened at the top of the fixture, snaked down to a silver hook on the wall. It was used so the chandelier to be lowered for cleaning.

Yeah, right.

He walked up to the hook, yanking the rope down. The monster of gems shuddered, them separated from the ceiling, taking with it a small platform. Abandoning the rope, the figure stepped onto the small plate, just as it began rising skyward once again.

His hand snaked up to his head, a finger twisting itself around a strand of pale hair.

He sighed. Ever since Leader found him wandering around a year ago, no memories of his past, he had become something like a father to him. So why did he feel like half of him was always missing?

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Up in the tower, a man sat in a lavish armchair, sipping invisible liquid from a glass goblet. He looked across the room to where a huge clock hung. He loved this clock. He loved all clocks. Others were set up around the room, all set to different times, but this one was his favorite. It always has been.

Eleven hour of the evening.

Oh, how he loved the clock.

Leader stood, throwing his empty glass behind him; it shattered against the wall, pieces falling to the ground to greet the remains of other glasses that had met the same fate.

He began humming a tune as he walked in circles around the large room. He gasped suddenly, hands flying to his head.

"I cannot allow my son and his undead friends to enter here!" he squeaked

"They'll _trash_ the place! All of my clocks will die!"

He ran to the door leading to the hall, opening it and stepping out.

Voices. His son, yelling again. Youou seemed to have developed a temper in his absence. Leader considered yelling down to them to come back some other time, spare the clocks, but was struck with a marvelous plan. Jumping back into the room, he began putting his plan into action. Dashing into an alcove under a purple clock, Leader dragged out a huge bucket of red paint. A clanging noise sounded behind him, and he whipped around to face his "adopted" son. He went over and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Father! I have news!" the young man squeaked. Leader smiled, patting his head.

"What of, son?"

"A group of intruders is fast approaching!"

Leader smiled again, telling him that he was aware.

"I have a plan, however. I will move the location of battle elsewhere, so the clocks do not suffer."

The man's eye twitched.

"…Excellent idea, father."

"Do you want to hear it?" Leader prodded. Before waiting for an answer, he told him.

"I will write a huge message in paint, on the ceiling of this room! They can't miss it!"

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

The group approached a highly decorated door. Clearly, this was it. Kamui seized the doorknob, ignoring the design pattern of a clock on it, and swung open the door. The sight wasn't what they expected.

"…The hell?" Kurogane muttered, eyeing the décor as he stepped in the doorway. Kamui was already inside, eyes golden and staring at the ceiling. His brother quickly joined his side as the rest of the team swarmed the room.

"It's full of…" Syaoran started, but was interrupted by Fai

"Clocks?"

Mokona seemed ok with the scenery, until he felt something drip on his head. Looking up, he saw a huge letter, accompanied by others.

"Kuro-puu!" he screamed.

"What?!"

The rest of the group, save for the twins, who had already noticed, looked up at the ceiling. Fai began to read aloud:

_Dear Friends,_

_I have noticed your entrance. Congratulations on a stunning performance, and entry! I have a question. How did you bring back the dead? No matter, tell me when we meet again. As you may have noticed, this room is full of clocks. I love clocks. How were you able to detect and dodge the traps, oh skinny zombie-man? _

Fai's voice cracked for a moment before he regained control and picked up where he left off.

_You are a wizard, am I correct? An amazing gift, to be born with powers that make you so special! I know of another, he is my new son, though he only excels in shield-making and other defensive spells. Someone broke his very special shield to my Pit, was it you? He is not happy. We have decided to move our location to different grounds, to spare the clocks. I remember well how little __Youou would go around and smash them. Of course, he was only a small child at the time, and didn't know any better, but we can't take any chances! I love these clocks so very much, did you know? I have a new order, one that will change the world. Imagine everyone alike, no fights, and no wars! All will be the same, content and happy. All opposed gone, never to be seen again. Only those I deem worthy will be allowed to live. I have acquired a rare tool to help me; it is very soft and fluffy. I know how magic-folk are, so listen up, zombie-man. Take my treasure, and I'll have you killed again._

_Forever your Leader,_

_See title above_

_Oh, another thing, since it's a good idea to know where to meet up. Want a clue? Look around the room._

Fai scratched his nose.

"What was that all about? No plot or anything. What does he want? Who's Youou?"

Kurogane glared at a random clock, and lashed out at it, smashing its face in one swift kick.

"Youou was my childhood name, until I earned the name 'Kurogane'."

"Oh."

"It seems he wants to 'cleanse' this world." Syaoran mused

"What was your first clue?" Kurogane growled, kicking in another clock face.

"The feather has destroyed his sanity. That's why it sounds like he's rambling; because he really is." Fai muttered

"He has a 'new son'. Who could it be? It doesn't look like he has a wife." Syaoran muttered

Kurogane growled angrily, attacking several clocks at once. Syaoran looked shocked, and then muttered an apology.

"How are we supposed to meet him? Anyone see a clue?" Mokona asked, looking around. Everyone looked at Kamui and Subaru. They had been in this world the longest, perhaps they knew.

"The Clock tower?" Subaru offered

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

"Father, who is the 'skinny zombie-man' that you wrote to in your message? What is his significance? I feel something when I see him, like something I lost. It makes me feel hollow. Who is he?"

Leader pondered. How should he phrase this? He was aware of his son's past, and that his memory had been erased; would telling the truth revive his mind?

"I shall tell you later, son. I promise."

AN: Huzzah! A new chapter! This one was fun to write! Thanks animemusicaddict for the awesomeful idea to use… crap, I almost gave away the secret, even though it's pretty obvious… Anyway, you shall receive a HIGHFIVE!

Reviews are loved!

Thanks to all who have kept up with the story, and highfive to all who fav'd it! You rock!

Till I update next time,

DP


	12. Meet Fai

"Where is the Clock tower?" Syaoran asked, looking out a window. He noticed in the distance, a large tower, proudly showing off its glowing clock face for all to see.

"Never mind. Fai, can you transport us there?"

Fai walked over, gazing out the window. He nodded, saying it would be an easy task, as long as Kurogane didn't freak out or anything.

"So, let's get to it!" Fai said, ushering everyone into the middle of the room. Quickly creating another transport spell, the group vanished in the blink of an eye.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Leader and his son raced up the steps of the clock tower, the son creating a few small shields along the way to buy them time if the others appeared too early.

"Will there be a battle, father?"

"Of course! It's going to be fun!"

"…"

"Don't worry; I'll introduce you to them!"

Leader slipped his hand into his coat pocket. The fluffy power- source was still there; a relief to him, since he thought he had left it behind on accident. He looked over to the figure running along-side him; a long black cloak, complete with a hood, covered his body. The hood was currently covering his head, as it usually was; he rarely removed it; he was very shy when he wasn't in the safety of the palace walls.

"Father," he said, throwing up another shield

"Are we there yet?"

Leader looked up, another flight, then the door to the best part of the entire tower: the main gear room, with an inside view of the biggest face in the entire country! He should have had the palace moved to the clock tower ages ago!

"Almost there!"

They sprinted the rest of the way, Leader leading the way. They stopped at the door to catch their breath, and then Leader opened the door with a flourish. He stood, gaping. All of his son's shields had been cast in vain.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

The group landed, and when the mist left over from the magic ebbed away, noticed the room was full of enormous gears. Looking to the left, their eyes reflected the glowing face of the clock face.

"Well, we're here. What now?" Kurogane asked. Mokona, thinking the answer was obvious, laughed.

"We wait." Kamui hissed, golden eyes glaring at the door.

After a minute of waiting tensely, the groups ears perked at the sound of stampeding footsteps, followed by gasping. The door opened, and the stunned face of the leader met them all.

"How'd you beat me?" Leader whined. He glared at Fai

"You used magic!"

Fai nodded slowly, eyes locked on the figure behind Leader.

_Is he the son? Who is he?_

Leader scanned the group, locking his gaze on Kurogane.

"Son!" He cried out, rushing up and trying to hug him. Kurogane shut his eyes and stepped back, away from the man.

"I am not your son." He said quietly. Leaders arms fell to his sides, then stepped up to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Staring him around to face the hooded man, he began babbling.

"Shy as ever! Anyway, I have someone I want you to meet! He's your new little brother! Come here, Fai!"

The room filled with a chocking silence.

"E-excuse me?" Fai stammered, eyes wide with shock, darting from the little brother to Kurogane and his "father". Kurogane looked just as shocked. The other Fai darted over to Leader, hiding behind his frame.

"You'll have to forgive him, he's _very_ shy. Oh, take the hood off, son!"

Fai shook his head, refusing. Leader rolled his eyes, bringing his hand up to the hood,

Yuui wanted to turn away,

_God, what if it's_ him?

Leader flicked the hood off, and blond hair fell into blue eyes. Fai was about to run out the door and go hide somewhere, he spun around, jumped a few steps away

And came face to face with the zombie. Up close, he wasn't that undead looking. Heck, he was even breathing! They even looked alike, except,

"Wizard, why do you look so sad?"

Yuui didn't respond at first, only looked off a little to the side. Quietly, he asked

"What is your brother's name?"

Fai looked confused,

"Uh, I don't know, I just met him… Youou?"

Kurogane sighed, closing his red eyes. Syaoran and the rest of the group stood to the side, next to a slowly moving gear. Kamui and Subaru exchanged a look. This was a surprise to them. Two Fais? Then it hit them. This Fai was the twin of the one they had met and tried to break into the palace with.

"No," Yuui said somewhat angrily

"Your _real_ brother. _Who is he_?"

"I-I don't know!"

"_Why_?!"

Fai looked over to Leader

"Father, what is he speaking of? I don't remember anything! I-"

Yuui interrupted his whines, clapping his fingertips to the temples of Fai. The fingers began to glow, and Fai began to panic

"Get off! Please, wh-what are you do-"

Yuui, tapped into Fai's mind, and began searching through his memories. All of a sudden, the rush of memories stopped. He could only see his memories from the past year to the present. He stepped back, breaking the connection.

"Why can't you remember anything before the time of last year?"

Fai just stared, eyes glazed, at Yuui.

"Who _are_ you?"

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Leader walked over, Kurogane following, to Yuui and Fai. Mokona had jumped off the ninja's head, and was now huddling on Kamui's shoulder.

"Enough of that, zombie." Leader said trying to push Yuui back. Yuui shoved back, eyes glowing golden.

"_Yuui_." He seethed

Leader took a step back, shocked.

"Who is 'Yuui'?"

The group, save for the mage, swiftly took out their weapons.

Circles of magic appeared in Yuui's hands. He crossed them in front of his body, and cast a spell. His hair returned to its pale color in a flash.

"I AM, DAMMIT!" Yuui yelled, shoving Leader back. Yuui snapped back to Fai, and stared into his eyes.

"Why can't you remember anything, Fai?" he said roughly, pointing at his head.

"_Who_ are you? Why do you look like me?" Fai asked weakly, looking like he was about to faint.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Kurogane stepped up to Leader, reaching out to help him out.

"Where is the feather?" he gruffly asked. Leader giggled, and pulled the feather out of his pocket.

"I need that. Give it to me."

"Kurogane! Wait!" Syaoran cried, rushing over

"We shouldn't touch it. It destroyed _his_ sanity, what will it do to us?"

Leader stared at his son. Why did he want his power source?

"Why should I?" He laughed, jumping back and conjuring a sword out of the air. Pocketing the feather, he got into a stance, facing Kurogane, and waited for him to do the same. The ninja already had his weapon out, so he just charged the man, Syaoran close behind. Leader easily blocked the attack, and quickly retaliated. Hits fired back and forth, and blood was shed. Everyone else quickly backed off, either to get out of the way, or to wait for the right moment to jump in.

The mages got their hands into position, and began firing off spells. Yuui sent rapid attack spells whenever it looked like the leader was getting the upper hand; Fai kept setting up temporary shields to protect his "father". Subaru was firing arrows at the shields, and his brother had already jumped into the fight, with Mokona at his side.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Yuui quickly noticed that the spells he and Fai were casting were getting them nowhere.

"Fai, stop!" he yelled

"No! Father will get hurt!" Fai shot back

"He's not your father!"

"I know! But he's all I have left!"

The spells stopped, and the mages looked at each other. Fai heaved a sigh

"I know there was someone once before, a brother. That's why you're here; Even though you're not him. But I can't remember anything! No one would help me when I needed it, except for the Leader. He's been like a father to me! And I can't betray him!" He yelled

"You don't know what it's like, Yuui, to feel like half of you died all of a sudden, and you NEVER feel whole again!

AN: Whew! Almost done with the story! Reviews are loved!

Sorry for any confusion, but from here on out, Fai will be Yuui, and the other guy will be Fai, since that's their real names and all. If you didn't figure that out,

…sorry? ^^;

DP


	13. Final Hour

Kamui back flipped, narrowly avoiding getting slashed by Leader's sword, and Mokona jumped forward, ducking under the steel, quickly cutting his own miniature dagger across his nose. The pork bun then jumped on top of his head, and used the momentum to leap to Syaoran's shoulder.

Kurogane parried yet another blow from the enemy. Jumping into the air to get a better aim, he quickly shot back down; sword held in front of him as if it were a pike. Driving the blade into the leader's shoulder earned the ninja a howl of pain from the man in front of him.

"Youou! Why?"

"I need the feather!"

"No!"

Quickly yanking his shoulder out, Leader leapt back, now staggering a little. He sighed.

"Long ago, you promised me that you would always remain loyal to me, and this country. Why the change of heart?" he asked, a hopeless and lost look in his eyes. He fell to his knees, eyes on the bloody ground. Kurogane sighed, approaching him, stooping down to eye level and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I have sworn to loyalty, but to another." Kurogane said quietly, trying to look the man in the eye.

"I have sworn loyalty to another country, in another world."

"Why would you betray Valeria?!" Leader spat back, jumping to his feet and swinging his sword out at the ninja.

Kurogane felt a searing pain shoot across his abdomen, then nothing.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Fai had tears of anger in his eyes.

"You don't know the pain I've gone through… It's unbearable!"

Yuui glared, blocking out the noises of the battle.

"You know nothing. You can't remember your real brother, yet you mourn. You, who have only been missing him for a mere _year. _You, who have probably never been judged in your life, never, been cast away by those you call _family_, left to perish, separated from your other half, only to have him die. You think I can't comprehend, Fai? I have been dead for YEARS!"

Blinking back his own tears, Yuui shoved Fai to the ground, snapped around, and fired off three deadly spells into the midst of the battle. He quickly realized, with horror, that the fight had already stopped, and that by the time he had already fired the spells, Leader had Kurogane in the palm of his hands, and that he was about to deliver a final, killing attack.

"No!"

Syaoran and the vampire twins were rushing forward, desperately trying to reach him before it was too late, time seemed to move so slowly. The spells shot forward, gaining speed, before being abruptly stopped by a wall of flesh.

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

The once great leader of Valeria was knocked off his knees, thrown like a rag doll to the far side of the clock tower room. He crashed to the ground, and laid there, eyes open and gazing into eternal darkness.

"_FATHER_!" Fai screamed, rushing over and shaking the lifeless mans shoulders.

"_No…_"

Sobbing, the man fell to the floor, feeling lost and alone all over again.

Subaru ripped a piece of fabric off from his cloak, wrapping it around Kurogane's wound in an effort to stem the flow of blood. Kamui and Syaoran kneeled to the ground, lost expressions on their faces, Mokona was openly bawling. Yuui was frozen, hand still held in its position. A tear fell from his eye. Syaoran looked over at the dead man. If he hadn't been shot back like that, he would've sliced Kurogane in half. The boy then looked over to the only person still standing. Yuui had a look of pure horror on his pale face, tears streaming down from his blue eyes. Still in shock at almost losing another, he didn't hear the boy calling his name. Syaoran got up and walked over to him; lightly touching his arm to get his attention.

"Fai-san?" The man flinched at the sound of the name, before blinking at the boy.

"The leader… Is he…?" he whispered. Syaoran bit his lip before replying.

"He is dead, Fai-san."

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&$

Fai shakily rose from where he had fallen next to his father. A sentence melted into his ears.

"He is dead, Fai-san."

Yelling a sound of rage, he charged at Yuui, planning to beat him into oblivion. "I will kill you for what you have done!" his mind screamed as he raised his fists.

Yuui snapped back to reality when he saw the pale blur racing towards him. Instead of dodging, however, he seized the fists, and threw them down. Yuui wrapped his arms around Fai, drawing him close and embracing him like a brother.

"Do not mourn for him, Fai." was all that was said.

End

_La tristesse durera toujours_

?

$*#&%##*&()%^$!&)!^&$&^^%#$&*$#*(##^%%!$&(*$#%#&^*&

Epilogue

Syaoran had called Yuko, asking her about what to do with the feather.

"Have "Fai" create a shield around it. You will then be able to touch it. Do what you see fit with it, I suppose." She said, assuming they didn't plan on traveling with it. The group nodded, and then asked if they could have anything to help Kurogane.

"He will be fine. Probably sore for a while, but he won't die. His pride is probably wounded more than his body now."

"We'll have to stay here until he awakens then." Syaoran said.

Kurogane lay stretched out on the floor, eyes closed.

"He looks like he's sleeping," Mokona commented "except he's all frowny."

"What of Valeria's people?" Subaru asked. Yuko smiled

"They should be fine as well, once the feather is removed." She answered, before vanishing.

Everyone looked at Fai, all wondering the same thing: would he create the shield they need, to save the people of this world? He looked so upset, why would he want to help them after what had just happened?

Yuui went over, sitting by Fai. He cleared his throat, trying to get his attention.

"You know, I have heard a story of your brother. They," he gestured over to the vampire twins "actually knew him for a while." Fai actually looked interested. He glanced over to the twins, who were conversing with Syaoran and Mokona around Kurogane.

"Where is he now?" he asked, a glimmer of hope to his voice. Yuui's eyes widened; he hadn't been expecting him to ask something like that.

_This is going to be difficult to say…_

"…Ah, that's difficult…" Yuui whispered, looking away for the moment.

"I want to see him. Where can I find him, Yuui?" the man pressed, wanting an answer.

Yuui closed his eyes, thinking. Coming to a decision, he opened them, looking at Fai. The man stared back with an unwavering gaze. Yuui sighed, choosing his words carefully.

"I can show you where I saw him." Fai's gaze wavered and Yuui looked away entirely, taking a deep breath in. Fai glared.

"He's dead, isn't he? Where is my brother now?" he hissed sadly "Who did it?"

Kamui and Subaru walked over, curious to hear the conversation. Subaru, hearing Fai's questions, answered.

"He, along with my brother and I, tried to break into the palace to remove the feather, and save the country." He started, gesturing Kamui, who was now watching them intently. "We were standing guard outside, and he snuck in. After a while, we heard a horrible scream and some strange magic teleported us away. We haven't seen Yuui since. We don't know who, or what attacked him though."

"He has." Kamui said bluntly, pointing to Yuui. Fai rounded on Yuui again, hurtling new questions at him.

"Do you know what attacked him? Where _is_ my brother?" Yuui sighed.

"Who had the Pit built?" he asked. Fai glared, saying that his father did.

"What kind of a question is that?" he demanded

"One that gives you both of the answers that you want."

"Answers…?" he mouthed, before a look of pure horror slammed into his face.

"_Oh god…" _his face crumbled.

Suddenly, he shot to his feet, stomping over to the body of the leader. Kicking the body over roughly, Fai created a glove-like shield around his hand, and shoved it into the corpse's coat, seizing the feather and yanking it out. He then kicked his face, and made his way back over to Yuui; creating a bubble shield around the feather along the way.

Taking Yuui's hand, he slid the feather into his hand, giving him a quick embrace.

"I'm sorry you had to suffer for so long." he whispered. Yuui returned the act, smiling softly for a loss of words to return.

Fai nodded at the twins, thanking them for all they had tried and had done. They nodded back, Subaru smiling.

Walking over to the three others, he stopped, stooping down next to Syaoran and looking at Kurogane.

"You want to know something?" he asked the boy

"What?"

"The man who took me in, his name hasn't always been 'Leader'."

Syaoran laughed softly. "I kind of figured." Fai chuckled

"He stopped going by his name, and forbid anyone to utter it, after his son died. The boy hadn't earned the name yet, and 'father' was too grief-stricken afterwards to ever use it; it brought back too many memories."

"It's sad."

"Yes, I suppose. But at least he's content now. He can be with his Youou now." Fai ruffled Syaoron's hair, and rose to his feet, making for the door. Mokona leapt up to his shoulder, hugging him around the neck

"Fai, where are you going?" Fai smiled a little.

"I have some things that need to be done." He replied, patting the pork buns' round head. Returning a small hug, he placed Mokona by Kurogane.

Walking out the door, Fai turned one last time to smile at the strange group.

"All of you should come back to Valeria someday," he said, grinning

"We'll look you up." Yuui said, smiling. Fai nodded, grinning broadly. Waving to everyone else, Fai turned, walking back down the steps, and back into his life.

"It feels…good. Knowing about Yuui, everything seems to be more…_free_." He thought. Humming a tune, he stepped out the doors of the clock tower, into the sunshine. A small, sweet-smelling breeze swept past, twisting around him, carrying with it words that only he could hear

"_I'm really proud of you, Fai. You'll pull this world out of the darkness, I'm sure. I'll be here, waiting and watching." _

Fai felt like singing. People all around him began to become more alive, as if waking from a long slumber. Laughter rang out; Fai began laughing along, for the first time in a long time.

Back in the clock tower, the group was watching the man make his way along the streets, smiling and laughing.

"He's finally free." Yuui whispered, smiling softly

AN: Ah, the end. This is the only story that I wrote for fun, that I actually finished! XD Thanks to all who have kept up, fav'd, left comments, story alerted, whatever! You all shall receive a high five!

To anyone who's interested, the French line (_La tristesse durera toujours) _Is a quote by Vincent van Gogh; my favorite artist. So, in other words, it's not mine.

DP


	14. Omake

Syaoran always wondered how the twins kept their hairstyles so different. Either Subaru straightened his, which made no sense whatsoever (He never had the chance to in Tokyo for one thing.), or Kamui did something with his own hair. The boy decided to voice his questions to the wisest member of their group.

"Mokona, do you think the twins do anything to their hair? They are twins," he stopped to hiccup, "but their hair doesn't match." His words were ever so slurred, and the small creature nodded as it took in the thought. They glanced over to the twins. Sitting calmly by the fire with Kurogane, the three of them were talking quietly, sipping the same drink as Syaoran and Mokona.

Sake.

Fai had been drinking sake along with them earlier; until he excused himself from the small party for reasons only he knew. He had been missing for five minutes now.

Syaoran was nervous. Had Fai gotten lost? Mokona began speaking again, and the temporarily dark haired mage was forgotten.

"We should ask them; Mokona is sure the readers are wondering."

"Readers? Are we being watched?" Syaoran stuttered. Mokona kept silent. Subaru stood from his place by the fire, going to fetch another bottle of sake, no doubt. He came back, offering Syaoran a refill. The boy held his glass back, covering the top. No way was he allowing the drink to be poured into his glass. The bottle had just been glaring at him, hadn't it? It simply could not be trusted.

Subaru shrugged and walked away after giving Mokona a small refill. Kamui took the bottle from his brother, filling his own glass halfway before passing it to the ninja who completely filled his glass, and passed the bottle back to Subaru, who kept his glass empty.

"I wonder where Fai went." Subaru said quietly. Kamui pointed to the bathroom.

"He's in there, no doubt drunk." Kurogane raised an eyebrow. Fai had never gotten drunk so quickly before. Then again, the sake offered by the twins was one that was new to all the travelers. He decided to ignore the questions rising in his mind.

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened, and a light voice drifted from behind it,

"Kuro-puppy!..."

"What?" Kurogane yelled back, instantly annoyed. Fai tottered out of the bathroom and down the hall, stopping in the doorway to the room full of drinkers, grinning madly. Everyone gaped at the man. Evidently, during his personal tour of the bathroom, Fai had come across a strange substance and felt the need to run it through his hair. The hair now stood up at odd angles with spikes to rival that of the bemused ninja.

"What the hell did you do?" Kurogane yelled. Fai waved a small jar in his face. The twin's shared a look of shock. Fai had, in his drunken state, rummaged around and came across a can of hair gel. Neither would admit to the other whose it really was. Mokona bounced over, demanding to know what the treasure was. Fai shrugged.

"I thought it was a jelly or jam, but it didn't taste very good…" he began, rubbing his chin. Subaru cried out in disbelief. Kamui sighed, hiding a smirk.

"It's called hair gel. You use it to style hair. Of course it's not for eating."

Syaoran stumbled over, trying to read the container. It was swimming in his vision, making reading it impossible. He didn't need to though. He had his answer. Taking Mokona, he whispered loudly into its ear.

"That must be it, Mokona!"


End file.
